Apparatus for use in the treatment of fruit.



J. 0. L. UAMPBELL.

APPARATUS FOR USE IN THE TREATMENT or FRUIT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14, 1908.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

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J. O. L. CAMPBELL.

APPARATUS EOE USE IN THE TREATMENT 0? FRUIT.

APPLIUATION FILED MAE.14, 1908. v

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

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APPARATUS FOR USE IN THE TREATMENT OF FRUIT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.14, 190B.

Patented Jan. 12,1909.

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JOHN COLIN LIVINGTON CAMPBELL, OF ACHALADER, BLAIRGOWRIE, SCOTLAND.

APPARATUS FOR USE IN THE TREATMENT OF FRUIT.

Specification of Letters latent.

Application filed March 14, 1908.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

Serial No. 421,215.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN COLIN LIVING- TON CAMPBELL, late lieutenant-colonel Royal Engineers and brevet-colonel, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Achalader, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, Scotland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Use in the Treatment of Fruit, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the treatment of fruit and in apparatus for use therein.

Fruit to be sterilized is usually put into tins which are placed in a bath heated to the proper temperature, for about two hours. I have discovered that if the tins containing the fruit are rotated preferably about a transverse axis, while being heated, the tem perature in the center of the tin reaches the sterilizing point earlier, thus shortening the process and cooking the fruit on the outside less and allowing bigger tins to be used.

The drawings illustrate apparatus suitable for use in carrying out my invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, Fig. 2 a plan, and Fig. 3 a transverse section. Fig. 4: is a side elevation and Fig. 5 a plan of one of the frames to a larger scale.

a is a trough in which is a steam pipe I) for increasing the temperature as required.

0 are pipes through which water is supplied and returned to a boiler situated in any convenient position.

At one end of the trough a is a driven shaft (Z carrying two sprocket wheels 6 e and at the other end are two other sprocket wheels 7 f and endless conveyer chains 9 9 pass over these sprocket wheels. At the end of the trough at which the carriages are inserted inclines 2' 2' are provided at each side of the trough and beyond the inclines i i racks j y extend along both sides of the trough. In the trough are carriages, on each carriage is a shaft is having on it two toothed wheels Z Z which gear with the racks j j, each end of the shaft is being prolonged so as to engage with the teeth of the conveyer chains 9 g. Depending from this shaft are plates m m supporting the trunnions n n of the frames 0 0 in which the vessels containing the fruit are held by means of spring catches p p. Fast to the shaft 72 and the frame 0 are sprocket wheels 9 and 0" connected together by a chain 8.

The process may be carried out as follows :The fruit is placed in the tins or vessels which are closed except for a small blow hole and the tins are placed in the frames 0 and secured therein by the spring catches p p. The carriages carrying the frames are placed in and traversed along the trough by means of the endless chains 9 9 but the frames are not at first rotated as the racks j y do not extend the whole length of the trough. After the tins have been a few minutes in the trough the carriages come to rest being raised by the inclines z 2' out of contact with the chains and the frames are given one quick rotation by hand and the blow holes are soldered up. The carriages then proceed and as they have reached the racks j j the frames are kept in rotation. lVhen the end of the trough is reached the carriages are removed and may with advantage be placed in a similar trough containing cold water or the tins may be removed and allowed to cool in the air. In most cases I have found that the bath should be heated to a temperature of 180 to 195 F.

The process herein described is claimed in my application for patent No. 400,608, filed November 4:, 1907.

WVhat I claim is 1. The combination of a trough, a rack on the trough, carriages above the trough, shafts on the carriages, toothed wheels on the shafts gearing with the rack, frames to receive thefruit-containing vessels suspended from the carriages, means connected to the shafts for rotating the frames and means for traversing the carriages along the trough.

2. The combination of a trough, a rack on the trough, carriages above the trough shafts on the carriages, toothed wheels on the shafts gearing with the rack, frames to receive the fruit-containing vessels suspended from the carriages, sprocket wheels on the shafts and on the frames, chains gearing together said sprocket wheels and means for traversing the carriages along the trough.

3. The combination of a trough, a rack on the trough, carriages above the trough, shafts on the carriages, toothed wheels on the shafts gearing with the rack, frames suspended from the carriages, spring catches on the frames to hold the fruit-containing vessels, means connected to the shafts for r0- tating the frames, and means for traversing the carriages along the trough.

4. The combination of a trough, a rack on the trough, carriages above the trough, shafts on the carriages, toothed wheels on the shafts gearing with the rack, frames to receive the fruit containing vessels suspended from the carriages, means connected to the shafts for rotating the frames, endless chains situated parallel to the trough, and

means for connecting the carriages to the endless. chains.

JOHN COLIN LIVINGTON CAMPBELL.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK CHARLES WEATHERBY, JoHN HENDERSON WHITEHEAD. 

